Mathew Stokes to join Essendon as top-up player: Brendon Goddard

By Nathan Lay

Two-time Geelong premiership player Mathew Stokes is expected to join Essendon this season as a top-up player, new Bombers captain Brendon Goddard has announced.

Goddard said he expected the signing of 31-year-old Stokes to be announced shortly.

"I think he's been in for a medical and ticked a lot of boxes," Goddard told SEN radio on Tuesday morning.

"We have 12 additions to the list; he'll make it seven so there is still another three or four positions to be filled."

Stokes will join Geelong premiership teammate James Kelly in coming out of retirement to join the embattled Bombers, who had 12 players suspended earlier this month for their role in the club's supplements saga.

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Former Fremantle tagger Ryan Crowley was the club's first top-up signing, with delisted Hawk Jonathan Simpkin expected to join the Bombers.

Other players reportedly on the Bombers' radar include delisted Richmond defender Matt Dea, former Melbourne ruckman Mark Jamar and former Lion James Polkinghorne.

Goddard, who will step up as captain in the absence of the suspended Jobe Watson, said it was important for the club to get back to a normal routine.

"It was two days after the decision and we came back to training and we just talked about trying to get back to normality as quickly as we could," Goddard said.

"I talked to the coaches and a few of the boys and said we obviously understand how everyone is feeling and everyone deals with it differently, but it was important we got back to that structure and routine."

The 269-game utility came under heavy criticism from former teammate Paul Chapman last year, who labelled Goddard as "self-centred" in his autobiography.

"What [Chapman] says is really irrelevant," Goddard said.

"Within the four walls – I know other people within four walls at other footy clubs know what Paul Chapman is like.

"I won't turn a blind eye to everything, I know there are some areas I need to improve on and I've publicly said that before."

Essendon can sign top-up players up until March 15 - less than two weeks before their round-one opening match against Greater Western Sydney.